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January 4, 2018

35 ways to be a better version of yourself this year

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Sweater (similar here, here, here, here, + here!) // Denim (one of my faves! This pair is another fave of mine with a similar wash but cheaper price point, although I prefer the waist of the first exact pair since it’s a bit higher.) // Over-the-knee boots (They’re 50% off right now!!! Lovelovelove – these are the over-the-knee boots I’m constantly wearing on Instagram. Also bought ’em in taupe cos they’re that good!) // Bucket bag // Sunnies

“New Years Resolutions!”

“New Year, New me!”

“New Year, who dis?”

“New Year, new hair, don’t care…”

“New Year, new shoes cos TREAT YO’SELF.”

Whatever the mantra, the new year is *here*. Still not over it, still can’t believe it. 2018. WHAT. This year is bringing the FIAHHH. First off, I’m blogging 4 times a week now. Maybe it’s Maybelline, maybe I’ve just lost my mind? HA. But really tho, I’m actually really *excited* about this. I realized month after month I just had waaaaaay more ideas than calendar space, and you guys seem receptive to more – so we gon’ do MORE. Woo! We’re also gonna do more personal stuff. I always keep it real + honest around here, as you know, but I’ve also always known that I don’t necessarily blog my day-to-day life. TBH, that was always intentional – I never thought that would be “valuable” to readers, so I prioritized blogging about things that I thought would somehow be helpful to YOU in YOUR life. But based on my survey results so far…y’all wanna know more about MY life. Funny how things work out – ha! So while I’m still in the process of figuring out what that will look like, I do know that I’ll be trying to incorporate more daily details into posts, per your request. 😉 AND, the best place for “behind-the-scenes” action will always be on Instastories, first + foremost. So if you’re not following along on the ‘gram (@ericaligenza) – do that!

Alright alright alriiiiiiight – I know I literally *just* said I’ll talk about me more, but right now…let’s talk about YOU. 😉

I teamed up with my friends at Allstate to share 35 ways to be a better version of YOU this year and help with your New Years Resolutions. Not a NEW you – just a better you. 😉 I really think the recipe for success in life is *not* in trying to be someone else. There’s every adage under the sun about life being too short to be someone else; I bet Ben Franklin, Oprah, + Jesus would all agree with that, so consider the below your guide to achievable New Years Resolutions to enhance the wonderful you that already is.

Identify your top 5 personal strengths. What can you do to really foster them + bring them out more? How can you use them to your advantage + for the good of those around you?

Identify your top 5 weaknesses. Is there anything you can do to remedy them? If so, do it. If not, give yourself grace.

Write down a vision of your actual best self. Imagine who you WANT to be, and who you WOULD be (in terms of traits, characteristics, talents, etc – not in terms of being a different person altogether, obvi). This is super important on your journey, because you wanna always be striving towards your own vision for you – not anyone else’s (or society’s) vision for you!

Start with intention with a mini-morning routine. Especially when you just can’t, you CAN with the help of some consistency. Brainwash yourself into a productive little somethin’somethin’, and you’ll find yourself getting to the good stuff in your day quicker + with more resolve.

Stay off email until you’re down at your desk. I learned this tip from Ashton Kutcher (seriously – shared it here). But essentially, your inbox is the worst way to start your day. Why? …Cos it’s someone else’s to-do list for you. Don’t let it enter your mind until you’ve crossed a few of YOUR to-do’s off, first. And, if possible, delete email off your phone altogether.

Declutter your space – A quick 5 minutes per day is a great way to start, by getting rid of the obvious, unnecessary clutter. I lovelovelove Allstate’s tip, though, for round two eliminations. To truly declutter, it’s really key to make the tough calls!

Organize your home – Instead of starting out with “the whole house” as a goal (cos hello, overwhelm…), start with some biggies that we ALL struggle with: the junk drawer, the kitchen, the medicine cabinet, the closet, + anywhere else that you’re using for “storage.”

Take a trip solo – Traveling as a party of one can be suuuuuuper intimidating + anxiety-inducing, but it can truly be life changing. Be willing to take that risk + see the world in a new way!(Click here for tips on affording a more luxurious vacay!)

Forgive someone – To truly forgive is not to forget – but it is to get past harder times and move forward in healthy relationship.

…But let go of toxicity – Choose one toxic thing every single day to “let go” of, and feel the weight disappear! Be that a relationship or some other toxicity (like a bad habit), letting it go for good will feel oh so good.

Try bold lipstick – Seriously, just try it.

Choose one new thing you want to learn this year – A new skill, hobby, language – you name it, you learn it.

Plan yo’ $$$ + cut back where you can – If you’re in a position where you’ve got wedding bells in the future especially, this resource from Allstate has everything from a mortgage calculator to a retirement savings calculator. Even if/when we’re “too young” to think about retirement…we’re not. Planning smart now helps you plan smart down the road!

Pay off debt + SAVE money! – Pay off your credit card every. single. month. And if you’re like me, set up autopayments to at least get the minimum payment in on time, and then be intentionabl about carrying a ZERO BALANCE.

Start an emergency fund – Emergency funds seem extra…until the emergency happens. Like when my brand new laptop turned out to be a manufacturer’s defect piece this year, or when our cat Moose had a huuuuuuge medical situation that needed life-or-death attention. You don’t want to cut into savings for emergencies; have something specific just for the what-if’s in life.

Say “no” more. You’ll have more room to say yes.

Start acting how you WANT to feel. Just like kids putting on Superman capes, sometimes you’ve just gotta fake it ’til ya make it.

Celebrate small wins. And ANY win. I am the actual worst at this, to the point where my hubs + bestie have to force me into admitting + acknowledging wins. But you deserve it – give yourself a moment to celebrate before moving right along to more #goals.

Get informed – Keep up to date with what’s going on in the world around you. But keep your consumption relatively filtered in that it doesn’t take over your life (since we could realistically spend 24/7 consuming content in today’s day + age).

Call your grandparents regularly – they’re worth it.

Call your parents regularly, too – they’re worth it!

Find a workout routine that makes you WANNA work out – Some sorta fitness resolution is like the QUEEN of New Years Resolutions for all. But, not every workout routine is created equal. If you hate running…don’t run. Find something that makes YOU feel good, + feel motivated to keep going. (Here’s mine!)

Get car insurance – Allstate has reaaaaaally good tips on why the heck you need car insurance in the first place (hint: it’s actually the law in many states!). But I know when I was in a car accident about a year ago – the one/only accident I’ve ever been in, and it wasn’t at ALL my fault – I was thanking the sweet Lord baby Jesus that I had insurance. It would’ve been a NIGHTMARE otherwise!

Get homeowners insurance – While you’re at it with insurance…do yourself a favor and read the list right there of all of the reasons why you need it. Then get it, and thank me later. 😉

Read more – My own goal: 2 books/month, for all of 2018.

Do one brave thing every day – It’s like Eleanor Roosevelt said. And she was spot on, sistah.

Unsubscribe from emails that no longer serve your best self – An app like unroll.me can help ya get started here, or just be intentional about actually going in and hitting the “unsubscribe” button. Personally, I caught myself just habitually hitting “delete” upon seeing a sender…and that’s so much less efficient than just taking that one extra step to unsubscribe altogether. Just do it!

Prioritize output over input. I read this somewhere the other day and thought WOWEEEEE, how accurate! If you follow me on IG (specifically, Instastories), lately you might’ve seen me chat a bit about how a huuuuuge goal/priority of mine from here on out is to just be more share-y. Whenever things are a bit more quiet on my end, it means that either a.) something is actually wrong, or (more likely) b.) I’m just totally consumed in consumption versus creation. In life, we can’t be students forever. At some point, you’ve gotta take the plunge and CREATE in your craft!

Ask your family + friends what their favorite thing about you is. Be more of it.

Be 1% better every day. After one year, you’ll be 3700% better. Specifically, 3778.34% better. Read that the other day, too – ’twas about ready to take over the world upon reading. HOW GOOD AMIRIGHT?!?! Let the daily motivation get you over the mountain.

Write down your DREAM of the year…and write down 3 things that need to be done to get closer to making it happen. – My girl Taylor shared that tip earlier this week, and I thought it was GOLD. It’s the best way to break down bigger dreams into more bite-size pieces for your to-do list.

Journal – Practice documenting your thoughts. Talking to yourself is sometimes the best way to actually learn more about who you are, what you like/dislike, your hopes/dreams, the works.

Unplug before bed – Pick a time for the phone to go. And I mean go. Blue light makes it harder to sleep anyways, so it’s really better all the way around to just unplug + focus on something else that will help you sleep better + sounder (like reading more! 😉 ).

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What are your New Years Resolutions to be a better version of yourself?

Pleasepleaseplease share ’em below!

P.S. Once you’ve got your ways to be a better version of you down pat, add a word of the year to the mix!

*This New Years resolutions post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. As always, all thoughts and opinions presented are entirely my own. As the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Coming Up Roses!

CURRENTLY CRAVING

IN MY MAKEUP BAG

Coming up Roses partners with several affiliate programs, meaning commission can be earned on sales of purchases by those who visit this site and on any Coming up Roses social media platforms. All products submitted to Coming Up Roses are subject to review and will be noted with a "c/o" (courtesy of) next to the credit upon its first placement, if featured. All views expressed on Coming Up Roses are Erica's alone, and she *ONLY* promotes products that she truly loveloveloves.

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